Make-Believe Husband Read online

  “It wasn’t time. He wasn’t ready – I wasn’t ready.”

  “I know.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”

  She sobbed. “What are we gonna do now?”

  He shook his head, afraid that if he spoke the floodgates would open.

  “He was the one that kept me going – kept our lives filled with people, joy, everything. I don’t know what I’ll do without him.”

  Jax’s heart ached. “I know, Mom. I’m here now. We’ll get through this together.”

  She collapsed against him, silently sobbing as she clutched his shirt with both hands. He held her until her shaking stopped, all the while wishing he hadn’t missed the opportunity to tell his dad all the things he’d want to say. He’d told him he loved him plenty of times in the past, but he wished he could say it once more. He’d played catch with him at least hundred times – if only he could do it again. He’d prayed with his father countless nights over his hopes, dreams, injuries or a wounded heart.

  Jax couldn’t do any of those things now. He couldn’t change the past. But he could do something about the present. He’d be here for his mother and his sister, be their support and their rock. He’d tell them he loved them and pray with them and have no regrets. And maybe even put down some roots in his hometown, spend the offseason here. He’d considered it in the past, but always put it off for later. No more. Time to do the things he wished he’d done before.

  The funeral procession crept through the middle of town, from the red brick building that housed Bethel Springs Baptist Church to the Ardensville cemetery. The service had been simple, but the church was packed to the rafters with mourners and well-wishers.

  Jax stared out the window of the black limousine, thinking about the weather. It was a dull gray day that matched the heaviness in his heart and gave his throat an ache he couldn’t shake. But if he thought about the weather, the food that would be served at the wake, polite conversation, the creases in his pants, then he wouldn’t have to think about anything else. Years of discipline had enabled him to focus his thoughts wherever he wanted, and today he was putting that training to good use.

  Perhaps he should embrace the pain, let himself dwell on the father he’d never see again. Say goodbye … his throat seized, and he cleared it with a cough. No, maybe he was better off with distractions. He turned to his right. “You okay, Mom?”

  “It was a nice service.” She patted his leg, but didn’t meet his eye. She’d spoken about her husband, and there hadn’t been a dry eye in the place. Twenty-eight years of marriage – a long time, but not long enough, she’d said. She’d hoped for far more, even though she was grateful for the time they’d shared.

  He sighed. “Yes, a nice service.” There had been a few surprises. Jax hadn’t known some of the stories told by the folks who’d known his father the longest. Even his mother shared some he’d never heard before, like how his father had been a huge Springsteen fan and even camped out with Grandpa to buy tickets to one of Bruce’s 1988 Chapel Hill concerts on the Tunnel of Love tour.

  He ran fingers through his hair, then patted it back into place. There was still the graveside to attend and the wake back at the house – he couldn’t look too messy. Not that it would bother him, but he wanted to be his best for Mom. She was staring through things, himself included. Would she recover? Logically he knew it’d just take time, but he couldn’t shake the pain he felt every time he looked at her. She seemed smaller, older, as though she’d shriveled since his father’s death.

  The line of cars inched down the long drive. Bare trees lined the narrow road, remnants of brown leaves scattered across the dry lawn. The cars stopped just as the rain did. Jax opened the door, unfolded from the cramped space and stood, then held out his hand for his mother. She took it, hers shaking slightly. He was worried – could she manage to stand for the rest of the service? Perhaps they’d have a chair for her.

  June exited the opposite door and walked around the back of the car to meet them, taking her mother’s other hand. “Ready?”

  Cecelia nodded, her eyes red but dry. “As I’ll ever be.”

  They walked together to the gravesite, where the casket already sat perched over the hole. Jax tried not to think about it. How could things have changed so quickly? He’d never really lost someone he cared for before. Well, his grandparents, but their deaths had been expected. There’d been time to prepare, grow accustomed to the idea. This had taken everyone by surprise.

  At the grave he led his mother to a chair, grateful she wouldn’t have to stand. She almost fell into it. “Mom, are you feeling okay?” he whispered against her ear.

  She managed a tight smile. “A little light-headed, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now.”

  “We could take you home.”

  She shook her head. “No way. I’m not missing a moment of today. As painful as it is, as much as it’s killing me inside, I can’t be anywhere else. I’ll rest once it’s over.”

  He nodded – he felt the same way. It was as though he was close to Dad somehow, though that didn’t make rational sense. Dad was gone. Still, saying goodbye was something he had to do.

  Kevin Murdoch, the assistant pastor at Bethel Springs, said a few words. He’d served under Jax’s father for ten years and was as close to him as anyone. Jax appreciated Kevin’s presence, but barely heard what he was saying. His head spun, and coherent thoughts escaped him. He stared at the casket, at the empty grave, his mother, his sister, back to the casket again, a dull ache in his chest.

  When it was over, everyone wanted to speak to him and his mother and sister personally. He couldn’t count the number of pats on the back, handshakes, embraces and offers of sympathy he received, but every single one ran off him like water. He embraced Brad Murphy, his best friend from high school, and thanked him, the words sticking in his throat. Beverley Briley, his father’s secretary, was crying as she kissed his cheek. For everyone else, he nodded and thanked them, but his mind was elsewhere. He just had to make it through the day.

  Stacey flipped through the realtor’s manual, sighed and rolled her eyes at Brad over the top of it.

  “You’re bored already?” he quipped.

  She laughed. “Is that bad, boss?”

  Brad shook his head. “At least you already have your license, from the last time you considered becoming a realtor and left me in the lurch.”

  “I told you I was sorry. It’s just …”

  “I know, I know, you want to be an engineer. I get it. But in the meantime you can sell houses, make a decent living instead of working in that greasy spoon. Plus, we get to see a lot more of each other.” He grinned and his eyes sparkled.

  “You won’t get sick of having your little sister around all the time?”

  Brad walked to her desk and stood beside her. “I’m sure I will. But you’re family, so I’ll just have to get over it.”

  She jumped to her feet and punched him gently in the arm. “You’re supposed to say no.”

  He laughed and feigned pain as he clutched at his shoulder. “You want me to lie? Ouch!”

  “So what’s on the agenda this morning?”

  “It’s only your second week, so I thought we’d start with coffee, then go through the list of buyers to see if we can find someone a house.”

  She nodded. “It’s your turn to get coffee.”

  “We have a percolator in back,” he protested.

  “You know I can’t drink that stuff. I need coffee that doesn’t taste like something scraped off the floor.”

  His eyes rolled. “Are you serious? You worked in that terrible diner – you can’t tell me that made you a coffee connoisseur.”

  “I always made good coffee for our customers, you should know that.” She chuckled. “Besides, I’m a realtor now – a professional woman.”

  “Fine, I’ll swing by Java Station, but when I get back I get to be the boss, okay?”

  She laughed. “Fine.”

  Brad
left, the bell over the door chiming on his way out.

  Stacey sat back in her chair and opened the manual again. She had to make sure she remembered every law, every rule – she didn’t want to let her brother down again. She’d done it so often, it seemed. But not this time. She’d finally let go of becoming an engineer, at least for now. Her stomach churned at the thought, but the right move now was to focus on becoming the best realtor in Ardensville.

  The phone on her desk rang. Usually the office had at least one other person around, but Brad was getting coffee, Susannah Gates the other realtor was out on a client call, and Bree the receptionist was home with the flu. She frowned, her hand hovering over the receiver. Should she answer? She couldn’t let it go to voicemail when she was perfectly capable of answering. She picked it up. “Good morning, Murphy Real Estate, Stacey speaking.”

  “Stacey Murphy?”

  “Yes.” She frowned – the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

  “Hi, Stacey. It’s Jax Green –Brad’s friend from high school?”

  Her heart skipped and she gasped despite herself. Remember? How could he imagine she’d ever forget her high school crush? She’d spent hours wishing he’d notice her, but she was Brad’s little sister and Jax was the high school football star. She was surprised he even knew her name. “Jax Green, of course I remember you. You spent a good portion of your childhood at my house.”

  He chuckled. “That is very true.”

  Her cheeks flushed. “How can I help you?”

  “Actually, I was hoping to catch Brad.”

  She frowned. It figured. “Uh, sorry, he just stepped out. Maybe I could take a message?”

  He paused and she could hear the pain in his silence. Everyone in town knew Rev. Frank Green had died before his time. He was a pillar of the community and loved by all. Over the years he’d hosted community events, preached every Sunday at the church on the corner and had been a surrogate father to her for a few years. She and Brad had attended the funeral a few days ago but she’d kept her distance from the family. They’d been swamped with well wishers, and she hadn’t wanted to crowd them on what must have been one of the hardest days of their lives. She was surprised Jax was still in town.

  “Are you working with Brad these days?”

  She shrugged. “Sure am. I’m a realtor now – houses to sell, clients to help …” Ugh – she sounded like a cliche even to her own ears. Pull yourself together, girl!

  “I’m actually hoping to find a place here in Ardensville before I go back to Atlanta.”

  “Oh! Well, I can help with that if you like.” Could she? Brad hadn’t exactly given her permission to take on her own clients yet.

  “Really? That’d be great. I don’t have a lot of time and I want to find a nice home for the offseason. Somewhere of my own.”

  She took down his details and hung up before he could figure out she didn’t know what she was talking about. Then she logged into her computer and did a quick search of what properties they had that matched his price range and description. There were only a half-dozen, so she jotted down their addresses and found the keys before heading out to meet Jax at his mom’s house.

  As she drove, her heart continued to pound so loudly she almost couldn’t hear the radio over it. Jax Green was in town. He was famous now, but when she’d known him he’d just been her brother’s friend. Even then he was attractive, maybe more so because of his shy confidence. She’d had such a crush on him that she’d hardly been able to think when he was around. He hadn’t noticed, just smiled her way as he bounded down the hall to Brad’s room to play video games. She’d smiled back, braces and all, feeling self conscious.

  It had been years since she’d seen him - once he went to the University of Georgia on a football scholarship, he almost never came back. Probably because he couldn’t walk down the street in Ardensville without people stopping him. Nobody famous had ever come from Ardensville before. Now, as a big-time pro athlete, he was even farther out of her league.

  Why was she even thinking about him that way? She was a realtor, showing houses to a prospective buyer. It was her job. She should forget about childhood crushes and focus on the task at hand – getting her first commission. Maybe then she could move off her brother’s couch and get her own place again.

  Stacey emptied her mind of all thoughts of the Jax Green she’d spent her life loving from afar. Now he was Jax Green, house buyer and her first client – at least she hoped he was.

  4

  Jax leaned against the rental truck, his arms crossed. He’d just finished a phone call with Coach Jackson. The Falcons had given him two weeks’ leave to take care of affairs regarding Dad’s passing, but Coach was already pushing him to come home early. He understood Coach’s position – he’d be missing the Packers game, not to mention numerous training sessions. At least the Falcons had a bye after playing Green Bay – otherwise they might not have even given him a week.

  When an old yellow Corolla pulled into the drive, he straightened and smiled. He hadn’t seen Stacey Murphy in he couldn’t remember how long. He remembered a pimply-faced teen with braces, painfully shy, watching everyone with those big blue eyes and hardly speaking a word. But Brad had been a good friend to him over the years, and since Stacey was important to him, that made her important to Jax. It would be nice to see her again. Besides, house hunting might be just what he needed to take his mind off everything.

  The car door opened, and long shapely legs appeared, strapped into red pumps. A gray miniskirt, matching gray jacket and white button-down shirt completed the ensemble. Jax’s eyes widened – this wasn’t the shy little girl in braces anymore. “Stacey?”

  She smiled and nodded, her brown curls bobbing. Her eyes were accentuated with subtle makeup and her plump lips shone a deep pink. “Jax Green – good to see you again after so long.” She walked over and reached out her hand, which he shook warmly. It was too formal a greeting for old friends – he leaned forward to kiss her cheek and smelled flowers and vanilla. “Wow, you look … different,” he stammered, finding himself at a loss for words.

  She chuckled. “I got rid of the braces.”

  He nodded. She’d changed more than that. He wondered if she felt as awkward as he did. It was always strange running into an old friend, especially when they hadn’t shared more than a few conversations despite seeing each other just about every day when they were young. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well, thanks. I hope you don’t mind – I’m pretty new to this whole realtor thing. But I promise I’ll run everything by Brad …” Her voice was confident and smooth, nothing like the breathy squeak of the insecure kid he remembered.

  “Fine with me,” replied Jax, running his fingers through his hair. “I want to find a place close by for my offseason home. Whenever I have a chance to get out of Atlanta, I’d like to come to Ardensville to be close to Mom and June.”

  “I can understand that. Are you ready to go?”

  He nodded. “Should I ride with you?”

  “If you like. Otherwise, I’m happy to lead and you can follow.”

  Jax chose to ride with Stacey. He wanted to know what she’d been up to and why she’d become a realtor. In fact, he wanted to know everything about her. He’d never felt such an instant attraction to a woman before. She was an old friend he’d known his whole life, but she had an air of mystery to him.

  She glanced his way, a guarded look behind her eyes, as though she’d had to protect herself a time or two. When he thought back over his childhood, he remembered Brad mentioning how difficult things had been at home. He’d spent plenty of time at their house, but his childhood naiveté had protected him from understanding the Murphy family dynamic. All he’d known was that Mr. Murphy was rarely home, and died right after Brad and Jax finished high school.

  He climbed into the car and pushed the seat back about a foot to fit his legs. But just as he got situated, the phone in his back jeans pocket vibrated against the plush seat. A
s Stacey started the car, he leaned to one side, pulled the phone out and put it to his ear. “Hello?”

  “Hey, bro.”

  “Brad, how’s it going?” Jax glanced at Stacey again and saw an eyebrow twitch.

  “I’m good. I heard you called the office when I was out – sorry I missed you. You should’ve called my cell.”

  Jax grinned. “It’s all good. I caught Stacey instead – she’s showing me some houses. I’ve decided that I want to buy in the area and she was kind enough to help me out.”

  “Er … you know she’s got like zero experience. I would’ve helped you with that …”

  “It’s fine, really. If we don’t find anything, I’ll just look next time I’m in town. I’m hoping to buy something quick, though – I want to get settled so the next time I come back I’ll have a place of my own already.”

  “Putting down roots, huh?”

  “Something like that.”

  “So is Stacey there with you now?”

  “Yes …” Jax studied her profile again. She downshifted and glanced his way, and he forced a smile.

  Brad’s voice changed. “Just remember, friends don’t date friends’ sisters.”

  Jax chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, I remember. You made sure we all knew that in high school.”

  “Yeah, well, nothing’s changed there, except that the risk of a friend dating her has increased exponentially since high school. She’s, uh … she’s grown up.”

  “Hm. Gotcha.” He wasn’t about to share his thoughts on that subject. Brad might chase him out of town at gunpoint.

  “And now you’re here,” continued Brad. “Every single woman in Ardensville is wearing more makeup than I’ve ever seen before, doing their hair, flouncing all over town – and all because of you. Take your pick, but leave Stacey out of it.”

  Jax raised an eyebrow. He’d heard part of that speech before – Brad was even more protective of his sister than most brothers, and having parents who didn’t seem to care only made it more pronounced. “I don’t think that’s really what’s going on …”